Kamatamare Sanuki
Japanese football club
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kamatamare Sanuki (カマタマーレ讃岐、Kamatamāre Sanuki) is a professional football club based in Takamatsu, the capital city of Kagawa Prefecture of Japan. They currently play in the J3 League, the Japanese third tier of professional football.
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| Full name | Kamatamare Sanuki | ||
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| Founded | 1956 | ||
| Ground | Pikara Stadium, Marugame, Kagawa | ||
| Capacity | 30,099 | ||
| Chairman | Nobuhiro Kawamura | ||
| Manager | Naoto Otake | ||
| League | J3 League | ||
| 2024 | J3 League, 16th of 20 | ||
| Website | kamatamare | ||
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The first part of their name was coined by combining the Japanese word Kamatama (a type of udon noodle bowl) and the Italian Mare ("Sea"). The second part is what Kagawa Prefecture used to be called. Their name, as well as their crest, that features a kamatama udon bowl, gained a significant interest and recognition, as the club instantly became one of the most-known non-league sides in Japan when their new name and crest was announced in October 2005.[citation needed]
History
The club was founded in 1956 as Takasho OB (Old Boys) Soccer Club (高商OBサッカークラブ) by the former students of Takamatsu Commercial High School's soccer club. Since renaming themselves Kagawa Shiun Football Club (香川紫雲フットボールクラブ) in 1991, they have been the leading football club in Kagawa, winning the Shikoku League Championship twice. The club's name changed again in 2000 to Sun Life (サンライフ) Football Club, when a consumer loan company Sun Life signed a sponsorship deal that continued until the end of the 2004 season.
In October 2005, after briefly being called Takamatsu Football Club, the club officially announced their intention to rise to J.League status and changed their name to Kamatamare Sanuki. In 2010 they won the non-league treble by winning the Shikoku League, the Shakaijin Cup and the Regional League Promotion Series, and by virtue of the latter they were at last promoted to the Japan Football League.
They entered the J3 League ahead of the season 2014, after finishing as runners-up in the Japan Football League in the previous season, having won the J2–J3 promotion/relegation playoff by beating Gainare Tottori 2–1 on aggregate. In 2018, Kamatamare Sanuki got relegated to the J3 League from 2019. On 26 September 2023, Kamatamare Sanuki was declared to have met the requirements to obtain a license up to the J1 League level.[1]
League record
| Champions | Runners-up | Third place | Promoted | Relegated |
| League | J.League Cup | Emperor's Cup | Shakaijin Cup | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Division | Tier | Pos | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | Attendance/G | |||
| Takasho OB | |||||||||||||||
| 1977 | Shikoku League |
6th | 14 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 32 | 54 | -22 | 10 | Not eligible | ||||
| 1978 | 8th | 14 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 18 | 48 | -30 | 4 | ||||||
| 1979 | Kagawa Pref. League |
1st | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ||||||||
| 1980 | 1st | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | |||||||||
| 1981 | Shikoku League | 5th | 14 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 26 | 31 | -5 | 15 | |||||
| 1982 | 8th | 14 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 19 | 26 | 7 | 13 | ||||||
| 1983 | 2nd | 16 | 10 | 1 | 5 | 45 | 32 | 13 | 21 | ||||||
| 1984 | 2nd | 14 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 33 | 30 | 3 | 17 | ||||||
| 1985 | 6th | 14 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 26 | 48 | -22 | 11 | ||||||
| 1986 | 7th | 14 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 15 | 25 | -10 | 8 | ||||||
| 1987 | 8th | 14 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 12 | 53 | -41 | 4 | ||||||
| 1988 | 7th | 14 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 16 | 42 | -26 | 10 | ||||||
| 1989 | 6th | 14 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 15 | 43 | -28 | 12 | ||||||
| 1990 | 6th | 14 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 15 | 31 | -16 | 9 | ||||||
| Kagawa Shiun | |||||||||||||||
| 1991 | Shikoku League | 2nd | 14 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 42 | 15 | 27 | 21 | Not eligible | ||||
| 1992 | 3rd | 14 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 49 | 16 | 33 | 18 | ||||||
| 1993 | 2nd | 14 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 53 | 18 | 35 | 22 | ||||||
| 1994 | 1st | 13 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 46 | 12 | 34 | 23 | ||||||
| 1995 | 2nd | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 42 | 17 | 25 | 30 | ||||||
| 1996 | 2nd | 14 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 41 | 19 | 22 | 31 | ||||||
| 1997 | 1st | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 47 | 24 | 23 | 30 | ||||||
| 1998 | 3rd | 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 21 | 17 | 4 | 22 | ||||||
| 1999 | 4 | 2nd | 14 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 41 | 25 | 16 | 28 | |||||
| Sun Life FC | |||||||||||||||
| 2000 | Shikoku League | 4 | 4th | 14 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 35 | 32 | 3 | 25 | Not eligible | |||
| 2001 | 3rd | 14 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 45 | 25 | 20 | 24 | ||||||
| 2002 | 2nd | 14 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 33 | 28 | 5 | 30 | ||||||
| 2003 | 6th | 14 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 28 | 36 | -8 | 13 | ||||||
| 2004 | 3rd | 14 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 29 | 26 | 3 | 24 | ||||||
| Takamatsu Football Club | |||||||||||||||
| 2005 | Shikoku League | 4 | 4th | 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 31 | 24 | 7 | 22 | Not eligible | |||
| Kamatamare Sanuki | |||||||||||||||
| 2006 | Shikoku League | 4 | 1st | 14 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 45 | 12 | 33 | 37 | Not eligible | |||
| 2007 | 2nd | 14 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 68 | 14 | 54 | 37 | ||||||
| 2008 | 1st | 14 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 62 | 4 | 58 | 40 | ||||||
| 2009 | 2nd | 14 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 56 | 10 | 46 | 36 | 2nd round | |||||
| 2010 | 1st | 14 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 53 | 5 | 48 | 38 | 2nd round | Winners | ||||
| 2011 | JFL | 3 | 11th | 33 | 11 | 7 | 15 | 39 | 49 | -10 | 40 | 3,025 | 2nd round | Not eligible | |
| 2012 | 4th | 32 | 15 | 8 | 9 | 49 | 29 | 20 | 53 | 2,344 | 3rd round | ||||
| 2013 | 2nd | 34 | 21 | 5 | 8 | 49 | 26 | 23 | 68 | 3,125 | 2nd round | ||||
| 2014 | J2 League | 2 | 21st | 42 | 7 | 12 | 23 | 34 | 71 | -37 | 33 | 3,317 | 2nd round | ||
| 2015 | 16th | 42 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 30 | 33 | -3 | 51 | 3,658 | 2nd round | ||||
| 2016 | 19th | 42 | 10 | 13 | 19 | 43 | 62 | -19 | 43 | 3,686 | 2nd round | ||||
| 2017 | 19th | 42 | 8 | 14 | 20 | 41 | 61 | -20 | 38 | 3,805 | 2nd round | ||||
| 2018 | 22nd | 42 | 7 | 10 | 25 | 28 | 72 | -44 | 31 | 3,073 | 2nd round | ||||
| 2019 | J3 League | 3 | 14th | 34 | 10 | 9 | 15 | 33 | 49 | -19 | 39 | 2,112 | 2nd round | ||
| 2020 † | 16th | 34 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 33 | 52 | -19 | 31 | 869 | Did not qualify | ||||
| 2021 † | 15th | 28 | 4 | 9 | 15 | 20 | 41 | -21 | 21 | 1,475 | 1st round | ||||
| 2022 | 17th | 34 | 6 | 9 | 19 | 27 | 49 | -22 | 27 | 1,805 | Did not qualify | ||||
| 2023 | 16th | 38 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 29 | 45 | -16 | 44 | 2,062 | 2nd round | ||||
| 2024 | 16th | 38 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 48 | 52 | -4 | 43 | 1,949 | 1st round | 2nd round | |||
| 2025 | 17th | 38 | 10 | 8 | 20 | 41 | 57 | -16 | 38 | 2,203 | 1st round | 1st round | |||
| 2026 | TBD | 18 | N/A | N/A | |||||||||||
| 2026-27 | TBD | 38 | TBD | TBD | |||||||||||
- Key
- Pos. = Position in league; P = Games played; W = Games won; D = Games drawn; L = Games lost; F = Goals scored; A = Goals conceded; GD = Goals difference; Pts = Points gained
- Attendance/G = Average league home attendance
- † 2020 & 2021 seasons attendances reduced by COVID-19 worldwide pandemic
- Note: The 1994 season saw one game cancelled due to the disqualification of Alex SC who fielded ineligible players. The 2011 season saw one game cancelled as Sony Sendai could not play a full schedule due to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami barring regular use of facilities.
Honours
| Honour | No. | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Shikoku Soccer League | 5 | 1994, 1997, 2006, 2008, 2010 |
| Kagawa Prefectural Football Championship Emperor's Cup Kagawa Prefectural Qualifiers |
19 | 1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2005,2006,2007,2008, 2009,2010,2011,2012,2019,2021,2023,2024, 2025 |
| Shakaijin Cup | 1 | 2010 |
| Regional League Promotion Series | 1 | 2010 |
Current squad
- As of 15 April 2026.[2]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Coaching staff
- As of 15 April 2026[3]
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager |  Naoto Otake |
| Assistant manager |  Kim Jung-hoon Ryohei Saito |
| Goalkeeper coach | Kenta Shimizu |
| Physical coach | Bansaku Igarashi |
| Chief trainer | Shinichi Todake |
| Trainer | Sotaro Sasaki Koshi Fujimoto |
| Side manager | Masaki Sueyoshi |
| Equipment manager | Koki Izumi |
Managerial history
| Manager | Nationality | Tenure | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start | Finish | ||
| Masashi Hachuda | Japan | 1 February 2008 | 31 January 2010 |
| Makoto Kitano | Japan | 1 February 2010 | 31 January 2019 |
| Kenichi Uemura | Japan | 1 February 2019 | 31 January 2020 |
| Kazuhito Mochizuki | Japan | 1 February 2020 | 31 January 2021 |
| Nobuyuki Uenoyama | Japan | 1 February 2021 | 31 March 2021 |
| Toshihiro Nishimura | Japan | 1 April 2021 | 11 April 2021 |
| Zdravko Zemunović |  Serbia | 12 April 2021 | 31 January 2022 |
| Toshihiro Nishimura | Japan | 1 February 2022 | 31 January 2023 |
| Atsushi Yoneyama | Japan | 1 February 2023 | 6 July 2025[4] |
| Kim Jong-song |  North Korea | 8 July 2025[5] | 2 December 2025[6] |
| Naoto Otake | Japan | 8 December 2025[7] | present |
Kit evolution
| FP 1st | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
          2011 |
 2012 |
    2013 |
     2014 |
     2015 |
     2016 |
    2017 |
   2018 |
   2019 |
   2020 |
     2021 |
     2022 |
     2023 |
     2024 |
     2025 |
     2026 - | ||||
| FP 2nd | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
    2011 - 2012 |
  2013 |
     2014 |
    2015 |
    2016 |
    2017 |
   2018 |
   2019 |
   2020 |
   2021 |
    2022 |
     2023 |
     2024 |
     2025 |
     2026 - |
In pop culture
The Kamatamare players made cameo appearances in the 2006 film "UDON" directed by Katsuyuki Motohiro.